Ferran Orriols - Darrere els horts (2025) Hi-Res

Following on from his critically acclaimed debut album “PLATA (SILVER)”, released in 2023, Catalan singer-songwriter Ferran Orriols has returned with his sophomore offering “Darrere Els Horts (Behind The Orchard)”, on Great Canyon Records, home to internationally renowned artists such as Joana Serrat and Riders Of The Canyon.

Recorded in a repurposed chicken farm in La Torre d’Orista, a small village near Barcelona, where Orriols was born, the album immediately exudes its organic flavour, with friends, local musicians, and a few musical heroes blending their voices with the natural sound of the Catalan countryside that reconnects with a simpler and slower heartfelt way of life. The album’s running time of 55 minutes is spread between 24 tracks, the shortest no more than 36 seconds, while the longest clocks in at closer to 5 minutes, each song sung in Orriols’ native Catalonian tongue, his deeply personal and yet expansive delivery weaving around a musical palette that combines the charms of a modern Indie folk troubadour with the more traditional roots music of the Mediterranean, in particular, Balkan and Arabic, and an undercurrent of Latin rhythms that renders the finished sound unplaceable.

The opening track ‘Cancons (Songs)’, is barely 40 seconds long with just one line that translates as “I don’t demand anything from songs, and they don’t demand anything from me”, which as a statement neatly epitomises the quintessential ethos of the album with its uniquely modern take on folk storytelling, both intimate and adventurous in equal measures whilst drawing on a similar naivety to that of the songwriters of the late 60’s, full of sincerity and innocence. Track three, ‘Mustang’, is a particular highlight, guitar and vocals dancing in tandem, while later on, the gentle tranquillity of ‘Hermoses’ finds Orriols’ poetry hypnotising as it floats upon a broader arrangement, including a rare appearance of an electric guitar.

The second half of the album includes the track ‘Tom Delonge’, a slightly double-edged tribute to the guitarist and vocalist from the American rock band Blink-182, with its opening lyrics “Hey Tom Delonge! You are my hero, because without knowing much you make great songs”, that initially appears less than complimentary until you listen on to the following lines “we’re here to enjoy! We’re not here to show off! Because music isn’t about doing it right, but to do it”. Okay, the poetry may be a little clumsy, possibly lost in translation, but the sentiment more than compensates, with Orriols demonstrating that he can say more in just a few lines than many who use reams.

The album includes a cover of ‘Roses Grogues (Yellow Roses)’, which first appeared on the self-titled debut album by the legendary 1970s British folk band Heron, whose keyboard player Steve Jones is on hand to add his insight as well as a level of kudos to a track that feels like it belongs in this new setting.

The album closes with the title track, a joyous uptempo celebration of life’s simple pleasures that, in many ways, epitomises the message lying at the heart of this album. Yes, the language barrier might initially appear as an obstacle to some, but in truth, its unabashed honesty, stripped-back simplicity, and openness quickly overcome any misgivings, while its poetic lyricism drawn from everyday life feels both distinctively familiar and yet thrillingly surreal all at the same time. “Darrere Els Horts” may not be for everyone, but for those brave enough and with a relatively broad musical palette, this is an album that both encourages and rewards repeated listening.